Dr. Desai provides some medical information about anthrax and then lists the leading treatment options for an anthrax infection. In the second part of the article, he gives some financial information about the major biotech companies involved in anthrax countermeasure development. In his description of the anthrax threat, he quotes from this 1993 OTA report, “Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction” that says, “(OTA) estimated that 130,000 to 3 million deaths could occur following the release of 100 kilograms of aerosolized anthrax over Washington, DC.”

While this quote is accurate, it is important to keep in mind the caveat that this type of attack would involve “single airplane-loads of…biological weapons, assuming a highly efficient line-source delivery” and that “fatalities could vary greatly under three different weather scenarios”.